Biden and Trump claim victories in some of 2024’s last primary contests

NEW YORK —  President Biden and former President Trump won their parties’ primaries in several states Tuesday, some of the last contests on the 2024 primary calendar.

Trump, appearing on the ballot for the first time since his historic conviction for felony crimes, won primaries in New Mexico, where voters could opt for his rivals who have since dropped out, and Montana and New Jersey, where he was unopposed.

Biden won Democratic primaries in New Mexico, South Dakota, New Jersey, Montana and Washington, D.C.

Trump and Biden were both expected to easily prevail in all of Tuesday’s contests as the last major candidates still running. But with many Americans saying in polls that they don’t want a rematch of the 2020 election, Tuesday’s results were watched for voter concerns about their choices as the focus shifts to the November general election.

Trump’s domination during the GOP primary season has also been shadowed by support from a minority of Republican voters for former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who dropped out in March. Tuesday’s contests were the first since Haley said two weeks ago that she would vote for Trump in November.

In New Mexico, where she was still on the ballot, she was receiving less than 10% of the vote late Tuesday.

Biden has faced his own protest vote in recent contests as Democratic voters unhappy with his handling of Israel’s war with Hamas seek to register their disapproval. There were organized campaigns in several states Tuesday to vote for “uncommitted” in the Democratic contests. In New Jersey’s primary, “uncommitted” was on the ballot in many counties above the phrase, “Justice For Palestine, Permanent Ceasefire Now!”

Democrats have two caucuses on Saturday, in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to close out their 2024 primary calendar.

Republicans in the District of Columbia held a party-run primary in March. South Dakota canceled its GOP presidential primary because Trump was uncontested.

Meanwhile, voters Tuesday also cast ballots in primary races for federal, state and local offices.

Retired Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Montana. Sheehy, who had the backing of Trump and national Republican leaders, will challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in what’s expected to be one of the most competitive races that could decide control of the chamber.

In New Jersey, Rep. Andy Kim won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by scandal-plagued Democrat Robert Menendez, who is on trial in New York on federal corruption charges. Menendez decided not to run in the primary. He filed paperwork Monday to run in the general election as an independent candidate.

On the Republican side, businessman Curtis Bashaw won, defeating Trump’s pick, Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner.

Herb Conaway defeated four fellow Democrats in a primary for the state’s 3rd District, a seat Kim will be vacating and which is expected to stay in Democratic hands in November.

Menendez’s son, first-term Rep. Rob Menendez, overcame a tough primary challenge in New Jersey’s 8th District from Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla.

In New Mexico, where Democrats hold all three of the state’s U.S. House seats, only one primary was held — in the 1st District. Republicans Louie Sanchez and Steve Jones were competing to take on Rep. Melanie Stansbury in a Democratic-leaning district based in Albuquerque.

In the District of Columbia, voters were deciding a primary for the city’s nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House. In Iowa, which kicked off the presidential contests in January with its first-in-the-nation caucuses, voters were choosing nominees in primary elections for local races and U.S. House seats, including one that could play a key role in determining control of the House.

Democrats in the Des Moines-area 3rd Congressional District chose Lanon Baccam as their nominee to take on a first-term Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, who edged out an incumbent Democrat in 2022.

Price writes for the Associated Press.